Top Toronto Theaters

Being just a hop, skip, and a jump from New York City, Toronto's theatre community is unsurprisingly robust. Classics like Fiddler on the Roof and The Sound of Music sidle up alongside contemporary pieces such as Legally Blonde and Jersey Boys to provide a well-balanced and lively collection of choices for the city's theatre-goers.

November, 2009 saw the Canon Theatres's August: Osage Country garner positive reviews across the board with four stars from both the Globe and Mail and Now Toronto and four-and-a-half stars from the Toronto Sun. It's that kind of quality that puts Toronto's live performances on the cultural map.

The historical Canon, which opened in 1920 as Canada's largest motion picture and vaudeville theatre, follows up on that hit with the ever-popular Rent, opening January 19, and Little House on the Prairie, The Musical. Grease and Legally Blonde fill out the venue's schedule through August.

Another proven Broadway hit, Jersey Boys, makes the Toronto Centre for the Arts in North York its home through July while Romeo and Juliet hit the Lower Ossington Theatre's stage beginning January 12.

For opera fans, the Royal Opera House has an engaging slate in 2010 with Carmen, Otello, and The Flying Dutchman. Spring also brings two performances of The Marriage of Figaro at the Elgin Theatre on April 30 and May 1.

Kids will surely enjoy a trip to the Rogers Centre for one of two Disney shows. Playhouse Disney Live! and Disney on Ice: Let's Celebrate! find their way to town in late January and early February, respectively.

Although concerts and sporting events also play a part in Toronto's bustling entertainment scene, it's the live theatre presentations that can set a city apart, and Toronto enjoys a rich array of such offerings.

Toronto Theater Resources

• Toronto Theater Guide
• Toronto Stage Reviews
• Toronto Musicals
• Toronto Theatre & Production Companies